Palatine begins their Carlow ambassadorial duties this weekend when they welcome Wicklow champions, St. Patricks, this Saturday to Netwatch Cullen Park.
St Patrick’s faced fierce rivals Baltinglass at Aughrim in the Wicklow county final decider, securing their 15th county title in the process.
Speaking to Scoreline Palatine Chairperson Nickey Parle says his club will be looking to trust their own game as opposed to preparing for the Wicklow champions;
See also: “It’s brilliant to see what it means to them and the people of Palatine”
“When we won the final, the Wicklow final a bit later. So we had a look at St. Pats against Baltinglass, but on the day it was very wet and windy and conditions were very trying. So how much do we know about them? I suppose we do not know a lot about them.”
“We take every game as it comes, we would play our own football and impose our own game on the opposition, and not worry too much about the opposition. With full respect to the opposition”
Celebrate good times…..come on!
Strong tables in @PalatineGAA last night 🏐🏆🙌🙌🍻🍻🍻🍻 pic.twitter.com/e41PgizxUC
— Brian Dalton (@Briano75) October 3, 2022
As Nickey mentions there has been a bit of a break from the Carlow county final and Leinster decider, practically three weeks. It was a lot quicker turnaround for Rathvilly last year when they only had a week to prepare for Naomh Mairtin. Manager Pat Ryan attributed some well-deserved celebrations for the performance that day, which saw them bow out of Leinster in Louth. Pado Flynn’s men though can come into this tie a bit more refreshed due to the break, a fact Nicky is grateful for;
“It was nice to have the time off. For the players to be able to celebrate with their friends and family. They did that, they came back. There were a few injuries from the final so it allowed the lads to get over that injury. So it is certainly an advantage than a quick week turnaround because you would have a lot of sore bodies after a bruising county final.”
“It was out of this world, for a club that was founded in 1909, we are 113 years on the road. We have won seven titles in our history, 1919, 1920, 1952, 2006, 2015, and 2016, and thank god we won it in 2022. It just means too much to the club and community.”
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Community Spirit
Before the league and championship campaign began, Palatine held the Amanda Kinsella Memorial tournament. It was a truly special occasion done to raise vital funds for the Amy Lawler Memorial Fund, remember those who are no longer with us, and to showcase what the GAA within the community is really about, family. It is hard to look passed that day as a catalyst for Palatine’s success.
“There is no doubt about it. Over the last couple of years, it has been tough, we lost key people in our club.”
“It is just the sense of community that drives people on. We prayed we could win the county championship for those people. It certainly drove us on there is no doubt about it.”
